#140: Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library)

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:00:00]:

The great equalizer. Right? That's a great quote. And I, you know, I often say people are like, well, what is your product? And I say our product is opportunity. I mean, people mostly would say, well, it's books, right? And I say no, I mean, sure, it's books, but it's it's more than that. It's it's opportunity. That is our that's what we're I wouldn't say selling because we're giving it

Jeffrey Stern [00:00:22]:

away. Let's discover what people are building in the Greater Cleveland community. We are telling the stories of Northeast Ohio's entrepreneurs, builders, and those supporting them. Welcome to the Lay of the Land podcast where we are exploring what people are building in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. I am your host, Jeffrey Stern. And today, I had the real pleasure of speaking with Tracy Strobel, the CEO of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Tracy was appointed to lead the library system back in 2019 after serving as its deputy director for nearly 15 years where she led The information technology, technical services, and literacy and learning divisions across its 27 branches. And with those 27 branches, The Cuyahoga County Public Library serves the 610,000 residents of the 47 communities in Northeast Ohio.

Jeffrey Stern [00:01:17]:

And under Tracy's leadership, has earned the prestigious 5 star rating in Library Journal's index of public library service for the last decade And received the publication's highest overall score among America's largest metropolitan library systems for 10 consecutive years. This was really an amazing conversation. We cover Tracy's childhood dream of being a librarian, the history of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, The business and operations of libraries and how they actually work, their responsibility and role as a civic institution and bastion for education and the robust Exchange of ideas, their evolution and relevance in an ever dynamic and technologically enabled world, offering opportunity as a product, Lesser known and unexpected services that libraries offer, and ultimately, Tracy's vision for the future of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. If you cannot tell, I am personally a huge fan of libraries. And as Tracy and I will discuss, I think they are of the most underrated public institutions we have. And so it was a real treat to hear from Tracy about her experience leading the Cuyahoga County Public Library. So with that, please enjoy my conversation With Tracy Strobel after a brief message from our sponsor. Lay of the Land is brought to you by Impact Architects and by 90.

Jeffrey Stern [00:02:37]:

As we share the stories of Entrepreneurs building incredible organizations in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio, Impact Architects has helped hundreds of those leaders, Many of whom we have heard from as guests on this very podcast realize their own visions and build these great organizations. I believe in Impact Architects and people behind it so much that I have actually joined them personally in their mission to help leaders gain focus, align together, and thrive by doing what they love. If you too are trying to build great, Impact Architects is offering to sit down with you for a free consultation Or provide a free trial through 90, the software platform that helps teams build great companies. If you're interested in learning more about partnering with Impact Architects or By leveraging 90 to power your own business, please go to I a.layoftheland.fm. The link will also be in our show notes. So I I've been really looking forward to our conversation. I've been of this belief that Libraries may be one of the most underrated public institutions, that we have in our society today. And recently, actually, Not intentionally in preparation for this, but I was reading Ben Franklin's autobiography.

Jeffrey Stern [00:03:53]:

And I wrote down this passage on libraries that to me Captured this power. And I would love to just read it to just put it out there as a preface to our conversation

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:04:03]: . Go for it.

Jeffrey Stern [00:04:05]:

So, he said that libraries improve the general conversation of the Americans. It made The common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries and perhaps have contributed in some degree to the stand so generally made throughout the colonies in defense of Their privileges. Reading became fashionable, and our people, having no public amusements to divert their attention from study, became better acquainted with books. And in a few years, we're observed by strangers to be better instructed and more intelligent than people of the same rank generally are in other countries. The library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study. So I I just I like that.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:04:45]:

Yeah. Great. A great equalizer. Right? That's a great quote. And I, you know, I often say people are like, well, what is your product? And I say our product is opportunity. I mean, people mostly would say, well, it's books, right? And I say no, I mean, sure, it's books, but it's it's more than that. It's it's opportunity. That is our that's what we're I I wouldn't even say selling because we're giving it away.

Jeffrey Stern [00:05:09]:

Right. I love that that framing of libraries as an opportunity. And as I was thinking about them in this kind of highest regard, I did realize that I do have very little understanding of all the work that You and your organization does to steward the Greater Cuyahoga County Public Library at large and how you think about it Strategically and and actually, you know, operationally, kinda day to day, the challenges that you face, the history of of the library system and how it came to become what it is today. And so, yeah, I just wanted to thank you for for coming on and, to share your Story

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:05:47]:

Absolutely. Yeah. Most people aren't laying awake wondering how a library works behind the scenes, but, I do. So that's all that I hope that's all that we need

Jeffrey Stern [00:05:57]:

Did you always lay awake and and think about libraries when you were younger and think you would be Being in them.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:06:03]:

You know what? I I will admit that I used to play librarian as a small child. I won't go into the detail about what that looks like, but I did Like, that was my my playtime. I played librarian. So I guess I was born for this. But, all through college, I would do everybody else's research for beer, I guess you could say. And, I realized, you know, I really could do this for the rest of my life. I could do this as a profession. Of course, I never do Research now, including my own.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:06:29]:

But that's what really turned me on was the act of finding the answers. Right? It's like a giant treasure Treasure hunt. And so I fell in love with libraries just by finding really hard questions and just Just looking for the answers, and they were always there in a

Jeffrey Stern [00:06:45]:

library. That's amazing. How did your journey Work professionally to to find yourself in in this kind of role

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:06:54]:

So at the risk of sounding like the world's Biggest nerd. When I went to library school and that is a thing that you get a masters in library science after you get a bachelor's degree. And my dream and I was I was 21 Yeah. Was to be a government documents librarian. Maybe a law librarian, but I really wanted to be a government documents librarian, which, You know, looking back sounds dreadfully boring. No offense to any of the millions of government documents librarians listening right now.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:07:22]:

But, Thank God when I got out of library school at the age of 22, I could not find a government documents librarian job to save my life. It's heartbreaking, devastating to my young self. And, so I actually started working in manufacturing in the technology end, like production and inventory control, you know, trying to do cost accounting on machining and CNC work. And, found out I had a real kinda just knack for picking up different technologies. So then I married the technology piece that I learned for 3 or 4 years In manufacturing with my library degree and found a a job in the public libraries focused on technology. And I stayed focused on technology for about the 1st decade of my career and then came here to Cuyahoga County Public Library in a more general role as the deputy director, which was a huge leap because, I was literally working in jeans and flip flops in the basement of Cleveland Public Library before I became 2nd in charge here at Cuyahoga County Public Library. So it went from having, like, 1a half people, that reported to me to having a chain of command of over 400

Jeffrey Stern [00:08:32]:

Wow. So that's amazing.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:08:34]:

There was a leap, but I'm still here. So I guess that means I did ok

Jeffrey Stern [00:08:38]:

And I I know you you did some innovative Work there as well in the development of the library system. So I we'll circle back to that. But I love that you called out, you know, that it I don't think it's fair to judge A library's value to community by simply the books that it houses. Right? And there's this whole concept of of third place institutions Right. Where libraries and librarians, you know, take on a function far beyond, the purview of just lending out books and play this Important, but maybe, you know, informal role and community and holding space for people to come together and sharing ideas and Access to civic resources. So when you if you were to just provide an overview of, you know, what it is the Cuyahoga County Public Library is in our community.

Jeffrey Stern [00:09:32]:

How would you describe

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:09:33]:

it? So that's really summed up in our mission statement by 4 things, Read, learn, create, connect. And so I never want to discount reading and books as a huge part of what a library does. It's really easy to dismiss that and say oh but we're more than books. Spelt I mean, we are largely books for reading. But, you know, right along with that is is learning. So our programming is what brings people through the doors every day, especially the the folks that are relying on our digital collection are still coming in for those learning opportunities. Whether they're bringing in their kids for story time or really traditional thing or, you know, maybe they're bringing in their Their mom who just moved here from another country, to learn English as a second language in our classes. And, you know, so much in between I won't get into.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:10:17]:

But that Connecting piece also is so incredibly important. And, you know, you can connect with technology for sure if you don't have it because, you know, we are the original sort of bridge of the digital divide. We've had the Internet free in public libraries, since the nineties since the late nineties. But we're also connecting with each other. Right? We're connecting as a community. It's a place to come to feel like you're part of a community, especially in this day and age when so many people are are working from home, spending, you know, a lot of time in their homes. It's that place they can go, Like you said, the 3rd the 3rd space, where they can just get a sense of the bigger world out there or the small world. Right? Just their neighbors meeting up.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:11:01]:

We have people just meeting here to read the paper and drink coffee every morning. And and there's a recent report by the surgeon general on isolation and, like, The the the health impact of isolation. Libraries are are really the cure, you know, or at least some of the medication to to fight that.

Jeffrey Stern [00:11:19]:

Can you share a bit about the history of the Cuyahoga County Public Library and how it has evolved over time?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:11:28]:

Sure. So last year we turned a100. Wow. So we were established in 1922. In Cuyahoga County, there were already Eight library systems in existence in 1922. So, the state changed some laws and said we're only going to, recognize and fund Public library is established. You know you can only come together as a system in a district as a public library, but we would grandfather in Anything established before those laws change. So anyway, there are other library systems in Cuyahoga County, but a 100 years ago, we were established as a library district to serve The 47 communities that weren't already serviced by a library system.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:12:10]:

So we actually started out with just mobile services and classroom collections. It's a little known fact we started out in the library of the Cleveland Public Library downtown. Or I'm sorry in the basement of the Cleveland Public Library downtown. So, you know know we were taking books out to rural Cuyahoga County right that doesn't even exist anymore. And making sure that library This is were brought into the individual communities. And then we began establishing you know physical branch spaces and we're up to 27 branches serving about 610,000 people and, yeah, going

Jeffrey Stern [00:12:47]:

strong. What in your mind is the role of a librarian?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:12:52]:

We're all about providing services. Right? We're all about connecting people with that opportunity that I mentioned, whether it's connecting people with a book to take to the beach, Connecting people with a class, connecting people with you wouldn't believe how many people still come in and say, you know, I don't have an email account And I have to now finally get an email account. Like, we're still doing that every day. So we're helpers. We're community helpers. We're public servants. And we're here to provide a service. And sometimes that service is just, you know, we're the only person that, an elderly, individual might speak to in that day, you know, when they come in to to read the paper.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:13:30]:

You know? So many times I see when I visit our branches Just this incredible connection between individuals and our staff. And like I said, sometimes it's that only connection that that individuals have in that given day. And sometimes it's, You know? About teaching skills that people can't otherwise afford to learn to help with their their workforce pursuits or, you know, maybe they've long wanted to, learn how to use a sewing machine. Believe it or not, many of our branches have sewing machines and classes is and and we have incredible innovation centers that people could come and use tools that they're just curious about but can't afford to purchase on their own.

Jeffrey Stern [00:14:10]:

I mean, there really is this this breadth of of services. What are are some of the the non obvious, nontraditional Offerings that

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:14:21]:

Sure.

Jeffrey Stern [00:14:21]:

Our libraries offer them that most people wouldn't realize or or be aware of.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:14:25]:

So I I talk about this all the time. And I think one of the things that Surprises people the most is that here at Cuyahoga County Public Library, we have the largest toy lending library in the country. Public toy lending libraries. We have thousands of toys. So if you are, you know, a parent who wants to try a toy before you buy it, or maybe you're a grandparent who wants to stock up on toys for out of town visiting grandchildren. Maybe you're an at home daycare provider Who wants to bring in different toys every week? So we they're all developmentally appropriate. You know, we actually offer toys for, kids with disabilities. So that's a cool thing that we do.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:15:04]:

It's very unique especially in such a large system. But, you can get online, search catalog, look at pictures, Pick your toys, have them delivered to your local branch. We do passport applications. We've been doing this for over a decade and we make We actually that's a revenue stream for us, because the state department dictates a fee that we charge people to to accept our the passport applications. And we're so much nicer obviously than the post office. Right? So a few years back, I think it's been, it might be about 10 years. We Acquired 2 nonprofits and merged them together to provide a service called Aspire Greater Cleveland. And in this service we offer basic literacy classes for adults.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:15:46]:

We offer GED prep and testing so you can take your GED test after The months of preparation that it requires to to be successful. We offer English as a second language classes and we cannot satiate the need for ESOL classes, in this region. And, we offer citizenship test preparation. So that's something people don't realize we do. Aspire Greater Cleveland is a part of us. And it was, I always joke that it's the closest to mergers and acquisitions the library the librarian ever gets when we took on these 2 nonprofits. So we're kinda struggling. But, it's all state funded.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:16:21]:

So there is a steady stream of state dollars that's distributed to entities around the state that offer these services. So we thought we, You know, it made sense. It was it was on mission for us. So I I mentioned those innovation centers. So Yeah. Like, embroidery machines, Banner printers, 3 d printers, laser cutters, all the things supporting small businesses or Supporting entrepreneurs that maybe wanna, you know, have an idea and wanna test it out, or maybe they have a a cleaning company and wanna embroider Shirts for their crew or hats or, you know, mugs or something they so it's not just about sort of curating a collection on our shelves, but it's also creating content, and that's sort of the create part of our mission. Lot of lot of surprising things. Last year for our 100th anniversary, we did a a a 100 things you could do at the library thing.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:17:11]:

And trust me, it was not hard to come up with that list of a

Jeffrey Stern [00:17:14]:

100 things. Yeah. I can I can only imagine? I think you've introduced this theme of of technology a few times now. And I'm curious in the the face of Of rapid digitalization over time and kinda changing community needs, how the library system has Attempted to, you know, proactively remain relevant as the world around us is changing so rapidly.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:17:41]:

Yeah. I mean, can you imagine if we were still Just lending books. Right? If we didn't agree with the times. If we didn't, you know, have this incredible digital collection of ebooks and and audio books that people could download. That's why I think it if you could kinda change your frame of mind to think about us, you know, in terms of having the product of opportunity as opposed to just a physical thing, or place. But we're constantly looking for new farm formats to lend, Both high-tech and low tech. Last year, we started, in one of our branches that is adjacent to one of the metro parks. We started lending bikes.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:18:18]:

So you come in, Check out bikes, take them for a bike ride, and bring them back. Right? It's just constantly evolving, like, looking at what do people need in the community? We're we're like the The original recycler or reuser where you don't have to have everybody owning their own thing and pool resources together so that people can share whether it's equipment in an innovation center or bikes or we loan, Wi Fi hotspots now. We have, You know, hundreds of Wi Fi hotspots that are constantly on loan for people who can't afford or have recently lost, you know, access to the Internet. Or, in fact, people going on vacation or going camping and and wanting a hot spot so they can continue to to work and stay connected.

Jeffrey Stern [00:18:59]:

Yeah. I know we can stay on this this, this challenge of of the digital divide and Sure. And and literacy. I mean, one of the the The realities of of Cleveland that really has just been astonishing to me was the the illiteracy rate and and how functionally I think it's almost 2 thirds of the the city's population are are functionally illiterate. And and while this includes more than, I think literacy in the context of of reading, like, you know, numeracy and comprehension and and analytical Skills, it it's just kind of an uncomfortable fact that so many face this challenge here locally. I'm curious how you think about, You know, what the responsibility of of the library is in, you know, working for that kind of education. And and I imagine the the digital divide piece comes in into play a lot

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:19:53]:

here at the moment. There's many forms of illiteracy. Right? And it's not just about reading. But it's largely about reading, unfortunately, in in this region. And, we do consider it our responsibility to improve those statistics. And we look at it kind of from 2 perspectives. You know, it's super important. It's making sure that kids, don't get too far in school before They are reading to learn instead of just learning to read.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:20:20]:

And we have a number of programs in place, you know, starting with the very youngest, teaching parents How to be their kid's 1st and favorite teacher. You know, whether that's teaching them that it's important to read to babies. Right? Like like a lot of Parents don't you know, they feel silly reading to their baby. They don't realize how critical it is forming that bond and forming that love of reading and that connection between parent, child, and book, and and and that being, like, the most safe and sacred combination. And then also making sure that as they start to approach preschool and kindergarten that they have those skills. Our children's librarians are are experts in making sure that the the early literacy skills are being developed so that kids start preschool and kindergarten, You know, ready to learn, ready to improve their reading skills and not starting from scratch. And then we have programs in place so that Schools can identify kids who are at risk of, you know, getting toward that 3rd grade mark without having, the necessary reading skills Transition. Once you start into 4th grade and beyond you you'll completely like just Lose track of the ability to to learn and comprehend the material if you can't read proficiently.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:21:38]:

So we're very focused on early literacy skills and making sure that kids are successfully getting through the early grades. And and so teachers can identify kids at risk And send them to the library after school where they're getting free tutoring. 1 on 1 tutoring. We have both paid and and volunteer tutors who come in. So that's one part of it. Right? Making sure that kids don't grow up having low literacy rates. But then we know for sure there are a number of adults in our region that, are not reading you know enough to to be successful in the workforce or like you said it's digital literacy, it's financial literacy, consumer literacy. So we have programs in place.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:22:20]:

I mentioned that the SPIRE Greater Cleveland, and that's like, at the very base of that is those adult basic literacy skills where we have Classes, tutors, a whole program in place to make sure that we're improving those skills and getting folks ready for the workforce.

Jeffrey Stern [00:22:37]:

And I imagine in addition to that, the, you know, just access to technology, is a big part of, you know, helping people Overcome and and just alleviate the the the challenges to to acquiring those skills in the in the 1st place.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:22:54]:

Exactly. So we do offer, you know, free Microsoft Office classes, basic, intermediate, and even some advanced. We have computers in all of our branches that people can come in and use. Obviously, we have Wi Fi access if they have their own device, but they don't have, you know, an affordable connection to the Internet. Sometimes that monthly fee is the 1st to go when you are struggling financially so people can come in and use our get a bit of bandwidth here to Stay ahead. But I think it's the classes and the help, really.

Jeffrey Stern [00:23:21]:

Yeah. I mean,

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:23:21]:

you can offer all the technology, but if you don't have a friendly face and a free class. People just aren't gonna have the means to get ahead.

Jeffrey Stern [00:23:31]:

So a a while back, we had, Steve Potash on the podcast who who founded and runs Overdrive, which, you know, for for those listening in, you know, who don't remember, it's A local company here in the area that manages, I think, the largest global network of digital book lending.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:23:50]:

Yeah. By far.

Jeffrey Stern [00:23:51]:

Yeah. 40,000 libraries across the world. How has having such an innovative company locally And the space influenced your approach to, you know, the whole digital transformation, and and what does that that partnership look like?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:24:05]:

Yeah. First, I wanna say I'm a huge fan and friend of Steve's. I'd like to brag about this, so I'm gonna do it. I was at the very first meeting. I was with Cleveland Public Library at the time. The very first meeting with Overdrive where we talked about what would it look like, right, to lend ebooks to libraries. Oh, wow. I have, very Fond memories of being at the table in his little office in Valley View.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:24:27]:

And he has just, like, took such a huge risk. You know, it's just the very definition of an entrepreneur. And, of course, now he's incredibly successful and and giving back to our community and including giving back to libraries. And we're one of their biggest customers. So it's been a fantastic partnership over time. And, like, at any given moment with any particular frustration over the years we may have had with his Products, just pick up the phone and throw ideas at him. And he's like, he's such a great listener. So I I, am proud of the fact that I've Helped along with a couple of my colleagues here have helped shape what that service is and what his product is.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:25:03]:

And like I said, he's incredibly generous giving back to to the to the local communities and libraries as a whole. He's a real champion for public libraries globally.

Jeffrey Stern [00:25:15]:

In addition to to Overdrive, I mean, you've had a front-row seat to the evolution of of library technology. Yeah. From from participating in it to, you know, services that that you've adopted, what emerging technologies do you believe will shape the future of libraries. And how are you positioning the Cuyahoga County Public Library to to capitalize on them?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:25:39]:

I think, honestly, the digital collection is you know, and as it improves, gets easier to use. I certainly hope that the Publishing side of of this dynamic starts to get more with the times. But I I do think that that Provides the greatest opportunity for libraries to remain relevant. But also just, you know, how as different technologies emerge And the average person wants exposure to those technologies, whether it's, you know, software or equipment, just innovative tools. I think the greatest opportunity exists for libraries to be sort of that first access point to that technology. With our innovation centers, for example, we have several of them around the county. You know, they have some core equipment that all of them have, and each of them sort of specializes in in different areas. But It's sort of the the starter version of of going to a maker space.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:26:31]:

Mhmm. You know, you might start there, learn a few things, and then be inspired to go on to, like, case western, or bigger and greater things. But for the average person, it's just it's not intimidating. There's help there all the time. Not just help from our staff, but help from the community of makers that it creates locally for people. So it's kinda that high-tech but high touch combination that I think Really, it's where libraries can excel and find their place, in sort of the ever changing landscape of of technology.

Jeffrey Stern [00:27:03]:

Yeah. Yeah.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:27:03]:

It just makes sense. Right? Because we have a I don't know what we're up to now. 3 or 4 of these incredible $18,000 embroidery machines, Right? That you could never you you could just never afford to get for yourself unless you're like already, you know, launching into to a that particular world. But, you know, we can pool everybody's resources together and offer access and help with that machine for anybody who walks in the door.

Jeffrey Stern [00:27:30]:

When you think about the business of libraries, you know, you kinda mentioned the, acquisitive, you know, mergers and Acquisition activity you you were doing. And I and I believe you've led some of the most extensive capital improvement programs in in the library's history. Can you tell us a bit more about what strategically goes into to planning for the library and and how you you know, in kind of that business Aperture. How how you evaluate things like return on investment in the library

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:28:01]:

context. Yeah. So people like, you know, people are always surprised. They think we're just very casual about this, but we're we're 27 buildings plus an administrative headquarters. We have about 750,000 square feet of facilities alone. So Anybody who has that kind of footprint across an area knows what it takes to to keep that running. Whether it's, you know, keeping, the roof up to date, the parking lot in good shape, the snow plowing, and the landscaping. And it like, It it it's a whole a whole business.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:28:32]:

We have a whole fleet of vehicles for delivering and maintaining our buildings, all the technology that goes behind it. We have an A little over $90,000,000 operating budget. So it is big business here. You know, maintaining that just, infrastructure to make sure that our spaces are accessible and available. We're open 65 hours a week in 27 places. So you know if you compare it to a grouping of bank branches or, you know, a fleet of Starbucks. It's a huge footprint across this county and it's a lot to run and there are a lot of behind the scenes, operational things that you know nobody ever thinks about and that's good. I don't want them thinking about it because if they don't think about it right they must be working.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:29:14]:

But we have We do a lot of things centrally sort of that you know just for efficiency sake. That's a real passion of mine. What can we do centrally so that we can maximize the amount of time our staff Out in the branches can interface with the public because that's the one thing we can't do from a headquarters perspective. So Whether it's purchasing and processing the materials, maintaining the technology centrally, you know, everything that we can do behind the scenes to make life easier for the Staff and the public out in the branches is what we do, in terms of kind of logistically running the place. We also, of course, have to to market and promote ourselves. Right? Because I think you mentioned when we opened up that it's kind of an underrated public asset. So it's always a challenge to make sure that people have an awareness of all the different things that we offer, in, you know, all that we can do to help improve quality of life. So there's that whole piece of it.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:30:11]:

We do some fundraising as well. Like, there's Tons of behind-the-scenes stuff that is fascinating. But like I said, if the general public isn't thinking about it, then I must be doing my job.

Jeffrey Stern [00:30:21]:

Yeah. And understanding that most of the time, I I I can see why you wouldn't want everyone to be thinking about those things. But if You indulge me on this detour for a moment. You know? Sure. What would you want people to know about what goes on behind the scenes that none of us are really aware of?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:30:38]:

I think that whole, like, analysis of meeting needs and evolving needs. Like, there's a real science to making sure we have the right books in each of the libraries, in each of the different communities, or the right programs. So I will say my favorite part about this job and this library system in this region is the diversity. Right? So we have branches, these 27 branches across the suburbs of the city of Cleveland. You know the range is incredible. It's, you know, it's Strongsville to Brecksville, it's it's Bay Village to Bedford, it's Maple Heights to to Mayfield Village. Like every community is really different And we work very hard to create spaces that fit the community, to create collections that fit the community, Learning opportunities that meet the needs of people. You know they're not just different demographically but they're they're different in what The interests are.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:31:31]:

And we pay a great deal of attention by looking at trends and analyzing data. You know just anecdotal stories are important too, doing surveys. We really care about not being a cookie cutter institution. Yeah. You know, about really meeting and connecting with people in each community.

Jeffrey Stern [00:31:49]:

Right. And that in in this business context is kind of a disciplined product management approach to

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:31:55]:

it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Like, there are obviously millions and millions of books that we could choose from to buy and very limited shelf space in our facilities. That's been a real trend in libraries, frankly, is that the space for books has given way to space for people. So making those choices About what to offer people is a real science. And we have a great team behind the scenes.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:32:19]:

And of course, we also have Cooperative borrowing. So that if you don't find what you're looking for in Mayfield, maybe we can get it for you out of a library in Cincinnati or a university in Toledo, through our kind of cooperative arrangements. So there's a lot of collaboration, which I think really sets the library industry apart from Typical, certainly, from private sector is how much collaboration goes on amongst libraries, you know, locally and nationally.

Jeffrey Stern [00:32:47]:

Right. it is more more collaborative than it than it is competitive.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:32:50]:

We're just nice, and we share. Like, that's at the core of what we do. Right?

Jeffrey Stern [00:32:54]:

Right. Well, I was gonna ask if, you know, if the product is opportunity, how do you think about competition, you know, in the context of libraries? Because

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:33:02]:

Sure. You know, I I think we're just in that that attention economy. Right? So we're just constantly competing for people's attention. And we all have so many choices of what to do with our eyes and our ears these days. So reading, in general, It's admittedly on the decline again because there are so many options out there. That quote you read in the beginning was talk talking about, like, There's nothing else to do but read essentially, and reading has made us all smarter. Well, it's sort of the opposite now I have to admit. So I'll I'll I'll give you an example.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:33:34]:

A decade, 12 years ago, circulating physical DVDs was like 40% of our circulation of physical materials. And now it's like 2%. Wow. Nobody checks out DVDs anymore. When was the last time you watched a DVD,

Jeffrey Stern [00:33:50]:

Jeffrey. I I I couldn't tell you.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:33:52]:

Do you know if your DVD player works or if you even have 1? I mean we still have them and that there is still a market for them. You know, we do still circulate them, but like that shift in in over a decade of our product And, you know, we're competing with streaming, which we do have some streaming video resources, but we don't have the blockbuster stuff. We don't have the big Streaming series that everybody's watching. So that's our competition. Our competition also is like that place thing. Right? Every time I go into a Starbucks or Panera and see people all set up doing their their work. I just wanna go shake them because they're like, they could have such a Better climate and environment in their public library. You know, they're not gonna be on a wobbly tiny table having to buy $5 coffee at their public library.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:34:39]:

And they can bring their $5 coffee if they'd like to for sure. But, you know, making sure that people are aware that we are a great space to work and to spend time. It's not just a place where you come and pick something up and

Jeffrey Stern [00:34:51]:

leave. Yeah. You're you're you're alluding to to some of these, I think, already, but What are the the biggest challenges that that you think the system faces? And as The one leading the Cuyahoga County Public Library through them, how do you how do you navigate those?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:35:08]:

Yeah. You know, certainly maintaining funding. We're publicly funded, obviously. We We're very fortunate in 2020 to secure, an additional 1 mil operating levy that's continuing. So we don't I have the intention of going back to the ballot for a number of years but that is always a challenge. You know at any given point the state could change its funding model for public libraries. So we're about 78%, 75 to 78% funded by our local taxes, property taxes, and the balance of that is then state dollars. And so you know obviously losing 20 to 25% of our funding with the state would be devastating.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:35:46]:

And you you never quite know, from each Biennium budget, we were we were, came out of this most recent one that, passed at the end of June or early July, very well. Maintained our funding, but as the political winds change, that could be in jeopardy and that would be devastating. So that I think is one of our greatest challenges. And the other is just, you know, keeping in the front of people's minds when they think about what to do with their spare time, where to spend their time. You know, again, what to do with their ears and their eyes. If it's gonna be reading. If it's gonna be listening to an audiobook. So we never wanna take for granted that, You know, libraries have been around forever.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:36:26]:

We're always gonna be around. Like, I'm the last person to take that for granted

Jeffrey Stern [00:36:31]: So I normally Opt to avoid kind of political topics. But Sure. I do wanna ask how you're you're handling the reality of those today who are challenging Books because they disagree with certain ideas or perspectives that that are relayed through them. And it you know, it's kind of Wild for me thinking back to books that helped shaped my childhood and experience, you know, writers like Twain and James Baldwin and, You know, whose lives and observations and identities were obviously very different from my own. But in a way, where the goal was to, engage with difficult ideas and historical realities rather than censor and silence them. So, as a library, as the institution that I think is most relevant for this kind of debate right now, how do you uphold that Robust exchange of ideas, you know, principle?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:37:26]:

We take that responsibility very seriously. Like, there's something in every library that is going to expose A reader to new ideas, new ways of thinking, new types of people. I'm a big believer in that reading especially reading fiction builds empathy And, is really the answer to the divisions amongst us, between us. But you're right. I mean, libraries are being challenged nationally. The idea of censorship. I will say that we're we're quite fortunate in this region in Northeast Ohio. People generally have a really open mind and a strong belief that public libraries should have something for everyone or some people like to say public library should have something that offends everyone.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:38:08]:

But, so we we do see the occasional challenge to materials on our shelf, but it's it's rare. But my peers nationally, Some of them spend all of their time fighting, groups that would like to take materials out of libraries. And you know I'm I'm certainly not gonna to state on one side or the other. It's just our responsibility to make sure all sides are represented. And that it's the most important thing is that, well, You're welcome to disagree with anything on our shelves in any of our branches. It might be something that really meets a need for somebody else. And you're welcome to not Take it, not borrow it. But you can't make that decision for another person or another parent.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:38:49]:

And so we're we just Really focus on representing all sides of of all issues

Jeffrey Stern [00:38:55]:

What does success mean to you in in this line of work?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:39:00]:

You know success means that people are using what we're providing. That people are taking advantage and finding opportunities whether that's, You know, within our the walls of our buildings or within our digital services and collections that people are finding what they're looking for. Success is Definitely, even if people aren't using us, they see the value in what it provides and what it brings to a community. You know, we talked about libraries being the great equalizer as you quoted when we started. And, you know, you don't have to be in a place where you need to use a library to appreciate what it can do for the culture, for the, you know, the workforce, for creating, you know, communities that we all wanna live in. That it's really an asset And that's success to me. I mean I you know one of the biggest challenges since I came became director of course, you know we all went through the pandemic and that was challenging in itself. But The bigger challenge is getting people back in our doors.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:40:01]:

And so year to date this year over last at this time of year Our door counts are up over 40%. And that's what success looks like to me. Like, people are coming back. And it's been sort of it was Kinda slow last year, and I'll admit to being super nervous because we've invested a lot of tax dollars in building great buildings over the last decade. But this year, I'm feeling really rewarded by the fact that people are coming back into our buildings, whether just to sit and work, whether to enjoy author visits, whether to learn a new skill, whether just to pick up stuff to borrow, people are coming. And that's success to me.

Jeffrey Stern [00:40:43]:

What are you most proud of?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:40:45]:

I think going back to sort of securing, several years of Financial good standing is something I'm very proud of. We went to the ballot in 2020, you know, the fall of 2020, which Presidential election, the the height of COVID, and we were very successful in obtaining additional funding at the continuing level, which to me Means people appreciate and value what we're doing. And that's what I'm most proud of. I'm I'm most proud of the fact that when you walk into one of our buildings, Someone's gonna say hi and welcome you. And you're gonna feel like you're in a place where people are excited to see you, excited to help you, you know, and want you to be part of the community. You know, libraries librarians were once sort of gatekeepers of information. Right? Kind of pre Internet, we held the keys to all knowledge And change changing and shifting that mindset. And and now I like to think of us more as information concierge than gatekeeper.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:41:42]:

Right? Because we're we're just helping to connect you, with what you're looking for. And, we're not like that Gatekeeper to all knowledge and all knowing and judgment and all of that. So over my 30 year career, that whole That whole mindset has shifted, and I'm proud of being a part of shifting to that real. We think of ourselves as the 4 seasons of library service Or if you have any like a public service, we're we're Nordstrom. We're we're the high end. We go out of our way to help people in kind of making sure that that's The experience people have when they enter one of our buildings is is something I'm really proud of being a part of

Jeffrey Stern [00:42:20]:

What's the future of the Dewey Decimal System?

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:42:24]:

The what? I don't know what that is. No. I'm kidding. You know, the future is that we make it so easy for people to find what they're looking for that they don't need to have ever heard of the Dewey Decimal System or how it works.

Jeffrey Stern [00:42:38]:

I have such Clear memories of trying to understand how it works.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:42:42]:

I don't even know. I don't even think they teach that anymore. Like, really, it's our job to to Make sure we're either organizing the branches in a way that you don't need to know that or helping you so that you don't need to know that. But, you know, So few of us nerds out there who still know what it is

Jeffrey Stern [00:42:59]:

That's fun. Well, I know you've also had some international exposure to libraries as well As a, you know, a representative of of US library systems

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:43:10]: Yeah.

Jeffrey Stern [00:43:11]:

What is the the conversation that's happening at a global level around libraries and their role at large. How does it differ if it does from the role they play here? And what insights Have you gleaned that you think we can take from libraries internationally

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:43:30]: Yeah. So, so I was part of this Global cohort of library innovators. So it's the US representative. It was funded by the Gates Foundation years ago. And, so I had the chance to get great exposure internationally. And I will say that we're not the best in the world, but we're close. We're we're, believe it or not, chasing the Scandinavian countries who offer incredible library services. And I think the biggest impact for me witnessing what they are doing there, How they marry social services and library services together so that it's kind of the one stop shop for people whether they're, you know, looking for Social aid or childcare or books and information or it's all together in one place, which I is also a trend that we're experiencing here.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:44:18]:

But creating that go to spot being more of a community center than having a separate Library and community center and recreation center and, you know, social service offices and all those separate entities. Kind of marrying those altogether under one roof is a trend that I, was exposed to and and was really fond of. And, You know, we're doing some work to try to bring those things together here. But, you know, largely, I'm just incredibly grateful for What we do have here and the support and the public support, the public dollars whether that's local or state or in a few cases federal because that by and large across the globe. It's not in existence. And libraries look nothing like in most countries. Look Nothing like they do here, and certainly nothing like they do in Denmark or Sweden where it's just even beyond what we're doing here.

Jeffrey Stern [00:45:15]:

When when you think about the next a 100 years, knowing that you do not take, you know, the institution's existence and presence for granted, What are you most excited about thinking about that future, and what are the, you know, investments that that you're making today that You hope to see play out over the coming

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:45:34]:

years. Yeah. I've loved watching the trend, you know, certainly accelerated by the pandemic, but Existing beforehand, the trend of people working remotely. And I love the opportunity libraries have to to sort of be a place to come together for those people who, are leveraging technology to to not be in an office space all day long. So I see that certainly as a growth area for us. And, let's see. What was the other part of your

Jeffrey Stern [00:46:01]:

question? The investments that you're making today that you're most excited about.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:46:05]:

Okay. Well, these spaces that we're building, I mean, we're we're we're building places people want to spend time. And we're putting a lot of care and attention into the detail so that, know, the last thing I want is when you walk into a public library, it looks like, you know, your high school from 20 years ago or it looks like you're going in to Apply for social services. Like, it cannot be sterile. It can't it has to have comfort and personality and connection with your local You know? I always say that, you know, your library needs to look a little better than your living room or why would you come and spend any time there. So we we Make significant investments and continue to do so on space to to be inviting, to attract people, because they have choices, you know, and we wanna be their top choice for spending some of their their free time. We just broke ground on a new 25,000 square foot branch, in the city of Brooklyn. Just broke ground last week.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:47:04]:

So we're about to start construction on that, and it's gonna be gorgeous. You know? I we built a a building in Bay Village. Last year, we opened a new branch, and The visits are up 54% over the the year before. Like, people it was just a concrete block Before in a village, like, why would you leave your lovely home to come to a ugly sterile government building? And now it's just a stunning, Welcoming, warm. You know, there's a fireplace. There's a balcony. There's a it's it's gorgeous.

Jeffrey Stern [00:47:38]:

Well, I think we've we've covered a a lot of ground here. I know there's probably a lot of areas we could go a lot a lot deeper into, but, You know, as we, we, we bookend the, the conversation here. No, no pun intended. Is there anything, You know, particularly important that that is unsaid that we that we haven't spoken about yet that that you wanna share.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:48:00]:

I'll just emphasize the fact that, You know, even if you don't consider yourself a library person. Right? So not sure what your typical audience is, but I'm guessing a lot of entrepreneurs, business people, Busy people. Right? But if somebody's listening to this, they're also curious people. They're also creative people. And they're also probably people people. Right? And so utilizing your public library to Kind of satisfy that curiosity to learn new skills, to try new things, to meet new people. If you're not thinking of your public library as a way to sort of satisfy those interests or those needs. I hope that listening to this has, changed your mind and that you'll visit us.

Jeffrey Stern [00:48:44]:

I hope so too. I would love that. Awesome. Well, I'll close with our traditional closing question

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:48:50]: Okay.

Jeffrey Stern [00:48:51]:

Which is for your Favorite hidden gem in Cleveland. Something that other folks may not know about that maybe they should.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:48:59]:

Okay. Well, I have to I have to say a library. Right? So, I would say the South Euclid Lyndhurst Public Library, which, in 2015, we opened a brand new one I'm closing a very traditional Tudor mansion library that many people are very fond of, but we've replaced it with a gorgeous facility. And especially if you have young children, who you want to sort of, inspire to love books and reading and libraries, Bring them to that South Euclid Lyndhurst branch library because the children's area is absolutely magical. We invest a lot in creating incredible youth spaces where there's As much play and craziness and and imagination as there are books. So that's gonna be my hidden gem.

Jeffrey Stern [00:49:44]:

I love that. Well, Tracy, I just wanna thank you for coming on and and sharing more about the the work that you're doing.

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:49:52]:

That's awesome. Thank you. Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity. It was really

Jeffrey Stern [00:49:56]:

fun. If people had anything they wanted to follow-up with you about, Where would be the the best place for them to reach out, learn

Tracy Strobel (Cuyahoga County Public Library) [00:50:04]:

more? Yeah. For sure. Probably just via my work Email, which is tstrobel@cuyahoga library.org. Awesome.

Jeffrey Stern [00:50:13]:

Well, thank you again. Thank you. That's all for this week. Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's show. So if you have any feedback, please send over an Mail to jeffrey@layoftheland.fm or find us on Twitter at podlayoftheland or at sternjefe. If you or someone you know would make a good guest for our show, please reach out as well and let us know. And if you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on Itunes or on your preferred podcast player. Your support goes a long way to help us spread the word and continue to bring the Cleveland founders and builders we love having on the show. We'll be back here next week at the same time to map more of the land.